Kriegel said the two were driving around after school and shooting at things out in the country near Montezuma on Wednesday.

A witness told authorities she was looking out her front window when something fell out of the tree in her front yard. She said at first she thought it was a branch, but while she was looking at it two boys in a truck pulled up with a rifle hanging out the window.

The witness told authorities she panicked because the rifle was pointed at the house and then watched the rifle aim down at the eagle struggling on the snow and the gun was fired again.

The woman's husband said he ran outside and put a towel around the eagle until the sheriff picked it up and drove it to a veterinarian in Grinnell. At that time, it was still alive.

Kriegel said he responded to the scene and found the eagle.

Veterinarian K.C. Cornish said if it had only been injured in the wing, it could have been saved but the second shot hit the bird's spine and lung and left it unable to use its leg.

The teens are facing charges of carrying loaded weapons in a car, firing a weapon within 200 yards of an occupied building and they could federal charges for killing a Bald Eagle.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Iowa Department of Natural Resources are investigating the case.

It's a story that has sparked outrage from our viewers online all day... Two teenagers from Montezuma apparently shot and killed a bald eagle this week. Mark Tauscheck just back from Poweshiek County. The sheriff says the two are 15-year-old freshmen at Montezuma High School... They have not been charged but face a long list of potential charges - which could include federal charges for killing this protected national symbol. This is the farmhouse where it happened... the boys apparently spotted the young eagle perched in a tree...and fired a 22 rifle from their vehicle - hitting it in the wing. 18:44-"the woman who saw it all happen did not want to go on camera, but says she was looking out the front window of her house talking on the phone, when she saw something fall out of the tree in her front yard - at first she thought it was a branch, while she was looking at it two boys in a truck pulled up with a rifle hanging out the window ..." ...she told us she first panicked because the rifle was pointed at her house - but then watched the rifle aim down at the eagle struggling on the snow ...and fire again...her husband says he ran outside and put a towel around the eagle until the sheriff picked it up and drove it to a vet in Grinnell...still very much alive. 19:50-"it was snapping with its beak, and trying to protect itself." Dr. KC Cornish says if it had only been injured in the wing, it could have been saved - but the second shot hit its spine and left it unable to use it's legs. 25:03-"and then there's the slug from the 22..." KCCI Facebook commenters mostly expressed outrage... Curly Valjean wrote "Absolutely pathetic of these boys. Positively no respect for our national symbol...nor for wildlife in general." But in this small town - many we spoke to know the boys. 6:29-"it's easy for someone to say bald eagle is dead, let's hang these kids as high as we can but they made a mistake, going to have to pay for that mistake - but they're definitely good kids." 11:17-"i can understand the mistake they made not understanding it was an actual bald eagle.. " Only the boys themselves know for sure if they knew they were shooting at an eagle - it was too young to have it's recognizable white head feathers but Dr. Cornish says with it's size, seven foot wingspan, and unmistakeable beak - it's hard to mistake. 22:22-"a senseless thing like this there's just no good reason, you know if they fly into guide wire on an electrical wire or something that's just an accident but this was deliberate, malicious..." The two 15- year-olds were quickly found, arrested then released to their parents. The county attorney told me she, the

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